AP U.S. History - Unit 1 Study Guide (1491-1607)

Flashcards cover Native American regional variations, maize spread, European exploration motivations and technologies, the Columbian Exchange and its effects, and the Spanish, French, and English colonial approaches, including the Pueblo Revolt.

Name the four major Native American regions described and one key characteristic of each.

Southwest (Pueblo, Hopi, Zuni): irrigation-based maize farming; Great Plains (Sioux, Comanche): nomadic buffalo hunting; later horses after Spanish arrival; Northeast (Iroquois, Algonquian): mixed agriculture and hunting-gathering with permanent villages; Pacific Northwest (Chinook, Haida): fishing and woodworking with developed social hierarchies.

What agricultural development spread north from Mexico and what was its impact?

Maize cultivation; it supported population growth and the development of more complex societies.

What were the main motivations and catalysts for European exploration?

Motivations: Gold, God, and Glory; a desire to expand trade routes after Ottoman control of the Silk Road; new technologies (compass, astrolabe, caravels) made exploration possible.

What is the Columbian Exchange?

The transfer of plants, animals, and diseases between Europe and the Americas, e.g., Europe to Americas: horses, cattle, pigs, wheat, smallpox, measles; Americas to Europe: maize, potatoes, tomatoes, cacao, tobacco.

List items Europe sent to the Americas in the Columbian Exchange.

Horses, cattle, pigs, wheat, smallpox, measles.

List items the Americas sent to Europe in the Columbian Exchange.

Maize, potatoes, tomatoes, cacao, tobacco.

What were the major effects of the Columbian Exchange on Native Americans, Europeans, and Africa?

Native Americans suffered massive population decline due to disease; Europeans experienced improved diets and population growth; Africa’s slave trade increased to support plantation labor.

What was the Encomienda System?

A system where the Spanish crown granted colonists authority over Native labor in exchange for protection and Christianization, but it resulted in forced labor and exploitation.

Who was Bartolomé de las Casas and what did he advocate?

A Spanish priest who opposed Native enslavement, argued for better treatment of Natives, and supported replacing Native labor with African slavery.

What were the Spanish goals in colonization besides exploitation?

To extract wealth (silver, gold) and to convert Natives to Christianity through missions.

How did the French colonists' approach to Native Americans differ from the English?

French pursued cooperative relationships and alliances with Native peoples (e.g., Huron, Algonquin) and focused on fur trade; English colonists arrived later and often displaced Native populations rather than collaborating.

Describe the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 and its causes.

A rebellion by Pueblo people, led by Popé, against Spanish rule in present-day New Mexico; caused by suppression of native religion and harsh Spanish control.

Which regions are associated with the Pacific Northwest and what were their economic activities?

Pacific Northwest (Chinook, Haida): fishing and woodworking; developed social hierarchies.

Name the Great Plains tribes mentioned and a key shift after European contact.

Sioux, Comanche; originally nomadic buffalo hunting; later adopted horses after Spanish arrival.

Name the Northeast tribes mentioned and their subsistence pattern.

Iroquois, Algonquian; mixed agriculture and hunting-gathering with permanent villages.